The Lucky 7 Game!
Open your most recent novel or work-in-progress.Turn to page 7 or page 77.Count 7 lines down.Copy (or read aloud in a vlog post) the next 7 sentences…in their entirety.No cheating or editing!!!Then tag 7 more authors!
A Date! A Date!
No, not with St.Matt – though we’ll be going out tonight to celebrate.
This is a date YEARS in the making. Years and so many pages and hours and words.
It’s my RELEASE DATE.
READY? (and, by ready, I mean: do you have your calendar out and pen uncapped? Or, more likely, do you have your calendar app open and your thumbs poised to type?).
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Sounds like a pretty good date, doesn’t it?
*Things that make it even better? I get to share a release date with one of best friends in the world – Emily Hainsworth.
** Info on release parties and such will be forthcoming, but, seriously we’ve got some time. Even uber-planners like me don’t have all the details hammered out 37 weeks early.
***If you don’t want to miss any updates, make sure you *Like* my Facebook page
****Shamrock border from: http://imagesbyheatherm.wordpress.com/tag/shamrock/
Focus!
I am writing.
My mother-in-law is watching the twins and I am writing.
I’m writing out of my house. Out of my pajamas. And without one eye on the baby monitor.
I know this is a little bit a so what? How is that a big deal? Except it is for me. It’s the first time I’ve done this in the fourteen months they’ve been mine.
Recently I commented on a handful of writer friends’ New Years blog posts about my goal for the year: Focus, I said.
Which inspires a little bit of a *gigglefit* because Focus and I have never been friends. Just ask my parents or twelve years of teachers. Or the legions of Distraction Fairies who are always willing to pluck my attention away from the task at hand and lead me on a wild goose hunt—let’s make cookies, organize the spice rack, is the mail here?, I should write a letter to my great aunt, did I finish Christmas thank you notes, oh! I meant to put the boys’ photos in a new photo book. Let’s Google ideas for formats. Let’s Google character names. Let’s open the WIP. Is there any coffee left?
What was I saying again?
Oh, yes, Focus!
I’ve long since accepted that I’m a Distraction Fairy magnet and I’m never going to rewire my brain to think in a linear fashion. But, what I can do is Focus on a task while doing it. While reading books with The Schmidtlets, I’m not going to worry about laundry or my word count. While spending time with Saint Matt, I’m not going to obsess about the length of our to-do list. When sitting at my computer during precious naptime, I will stay off the Interwebs and make the most of that time with my WIP. While on the phone with friends, I’m going to be less multi-tasky. The toys can stay on the floor for another few minutes and I can give all my energy over to listening.
And now, while sitting in this coffee shop, I will appreciate the baby-free writing time, stop calling to check-in every few minutes, and FOCUS on the words on the page in front of me.
Feeling Apocalyptic
I was lucky enough to spend the moment 2011 gave way to 2012 at a wedding surrounded by friends and in formal wear. I’d almost, almost made it to 12 o’clock in my heels.
But when the countdown hit one and people cheered and toasted and kissed, the moment felt extra, extra exciting. And not just because of St.Matt’s midnight kiss.
It’s 2012.
SEND ME A SIGN comes out in October 2012. So, this means it’s FINALLY my publication year. How could that not add an extra sizzle to the ball-drop countdown?
Yesterday, when The Schmidtlets woke us up after not nearly enough sleep—5 a.m., really? Couldn’t they tell we only got to bed at 2?—I had another moment of IT’S MY YEAR.
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In which The Wild Imp says: Who needs sleep? And check out my cute Apocalypsie shirt? Auntie Em gave it to me. |
I know that realistically, 1/1/2012 is only ONE day nearer to October than 12/31/2011, but it feels so much closer. And I’ve always valued feelings more than facts.**
So, Happy Twenty-Twelve!
And while you’re waiting for October, do what I plan to do — keep yourself distracted by reading fabulous books by all the other Apocalypsies.
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In which The Pip Squeak says: Go read Apocalypsie books RIGHT NOW! |
What a fabulous year it’s going to be!
In which The Schmidtlets demonstrate how 2012 has shoved 2011 out of the way and The Wild Imp goes splat. |
*This is what we’ve agreed to call it, right? Not Two Thousand and Twelve?
**Much to the dismay of my sainted engineer.
Copyedits Colored Pencil Comparison – Updated!
Copyedits! They’re here!
I’ve been so excited about their pending arrival that I’ve had my colored pencils for weeks. I bought the erasable kind — thinking I was soooo brilliant.
Until I tried to write with them.
Must. Press. Down. So. Very. Hard. And they kinda skip. It was like trying to be precise while writing with a crayon.
I handed one to St.Matt and without my prompting he said: “They’re like writing with crayons.”
“New colored pencils!” I demanded. Actually, it was less of demand and more of an exclamation. Perhaps a proclamation: “Let us buy ALL the colored pencils!”
And then I whined to Emily Hainsworth** that all my planning was for naught. She seconded my demand/exclamation/proclamation and suggested a comparison — so all the credit for this brilliant idea goes to her.
I limited myself to five brands, because, let’s be serious — I’ve now got sixty-two colored pencils and I plan to use… ONE.
And, in a further show of self-restraint, I wouldn’t let myself buy the Staedtler brand (even though they make my very most favorite revision pens EVER) because I didn’t need a fancy pack for one pencil.**
To make this all scientific-ish, I sharpened each colored pencil with the same plastic sharpener. Wrote the brand, shaded, and signed my name with each.*** I used the same eraser to attempt to erase each — and swiped it the same number of swipes (7 swipes).
Here are the results:
To be fair, these were more “erasable” when you used the attached eraser. They’re also the hardest to write with & the least precise. Erasability is not worth it. |
A little more precise than the erasable version… and just slightly less erasable. |
The most erasable of the bunch. Decent precision. Tricky to sharpen — the tip kept crumbling |
This was my second favorite. |
Least erasable but most precise — go figure. |
At the end of the day, excepting the Erasables, they’re all fairly similar. I ended up deciding to use the Prismacolor because the local Michael’s sells them as singles. St.Matt pointed out that if**** I happen to lose or break it, I can then go buy just another pencil, instead of a whole ‘nother set.
I feel a sudden urge to write a lab report. Or do another experiment. I wonder if we have vinegar and baking soda.
Or Coke and Mentos!
No worries, we DO have safety goggles.
But I also have copyedits! Mayhaps I will put my scientific urges on pause until all my editing and STETing is complete.
UPDATE – The brilliant & talented Nova Ren Suma***** just told me: Copy editors use Ticonderoga or Col-Erase colored pencils… Others are too soft.
Oh. *looks at the half pencil left after one night of sharpening & resharpening to maintain a tip* This makes A LOT of sense. I’ve already ordered a pack — they should be here tomorrow and then I’ll add their photo to the collection.
Thanks, Nova!
UPDATE The Second – They’re here —
The precision! The erasability! Dream come true. I got so excited I cut off the last letter of my last name. |
Which office supply should I test next?!******
* Actually, my brilliance should probably always be attributed to Miss Emily. I love her dearly. Maybe I’ll send her 61 colored pencils for Christmas.
**Though if anyone has used Staedtler colored pencils and thinks they’re awesome, let me know and I’ll be all about getting them when it’s time for book two.
***My signature is normally MUCH neater. I’m having a bad handwriting day — possibly caused by post-birthday-party-too-much-sugar jitters.
****He actually said WHEN I lose or break it, I edited his statement to give myself the benefit of the doubt
***** Seriously, if you haven’t read Imaginary Girls go add it to your Christmas list NOW. And then start behaving so Santa complies.
****** I mean, Sorry, I’ve got to go do my copyedits.
SLOWED to a crawl? How inaccurate.
Author Interview — Scott Tracey
Interview with Scott Tracey
I’m pleased as pleased can be to have Scott Tracey, author of WITCH EYES, answering questions on my blog today.
Okay, so that’s a lie. Scott is REALLY answering questions on the Apocalypsie blog today. On this blog, I’m answering the questions for him.
I keep telling Scott he should hire me to do all his speaking and blogging engagements for him — If he did, this is a just a taste of the awesome he could expect.
For those of you looking for TRUTH — head over to The Apocalypsies and find out what’s really going on inside the head of Mr. Tracey. Warning: it’s a very, very strange place.
Just kidding.
Maybe.
Clearly these are the answers Scott Tracey wishes he’d given…
You can find out more about Scott Tracey at his blog, or on Twitter. WITCH EYES officially releases this Thursday, September 8th. If you haven’t already pre-ordered a copy, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Let’s Make A Deal
Procrasti-baking
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Rice Krispie Cake Batter Treats – recipe found HERE |